Wire mattress.



W. LEWlS.

WIRE MATTRESS.

APPLICATION FILED APR4 9, 1915.

L225,25 Patented May 8,1917.

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W. LEWIS.

WIRE MATTRESS.

APPucATxoN msn Ams, |915.

Lie. Patented May 8, 1917.

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WIRE MATTRESS.

APPucATxoN mio APR. 9, 1915,

Patented May 8, 1917.

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WILLIAM LEWIS, OF UTICA, NEVlf YORK.

WIRE MATTRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'May 8, i917 Application led. April 9, 1915. Serial No. 20,249.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VILLIAM Lewis, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Utica, in the county of Oneida, in the State of-New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tire Mattresses, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certainimprovements in wire mattresses of the spring, woven wire or link bar type, in which there is always more or less liability of excessive stretching and consequent sagging or contracting of the central portions of the longitudinal edges by reason of the excessive use and pressure to which these portions of the mattress are ordinarily subjected.

The main object of my present invention is to obviate these objectionable results by providing simple and comparatively inexpensive bracing devices which may be permanently or detachably applied wherever necessary, to the longitudinal edges and adjacent portions of the main body of the mattress in such mannerthat the stresses upon the edges will be distributed to the main body, without in any way affecting the general resiliency or exibility of the mattress.

Another object is to provide these bracing members with upstanding guards for retaining the superposed upholstered mattress in operative position upon the wire mattress against lateral displacement.

Fig. 7 tress.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view, taken on line 8 8, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of oneof the detached reinforcing members shown :in Fig. G.

Fig. 10 is a top plan, partly broken away, of a coil spring mattress and reinforcing members for the longitudinal edges thereof incorporated therein.

Fig. 11 is an edge view of the same mattress.

Fig. 12 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on line www, Fig. 1l.

The mattress shown in Figs. l to il, inclusive, comprises a Vwoven wire fabric wlwhich is stretched in any well known manner between end bars -2- connecting the opposite ends of side rails -3-, the longitudinal edges of the woven wire fabric 1- being reinforced at intervals throughout its length, and particularly at the intermediate portions, by U-shaped braces 4- incorporated therein, in a manner presently described.

For convenience and economy, these braces are made of wire .of suitable gage, each brace being provided with similar parallel arms5 arranged-in spaced relation and united at one end by an upwardly arched cross bar -6-.

rlhe arms -5- serve as reinforcing members for the longitudinal edges of the woven is an edge view of the same matmembers thereto, the same locking rods being of sufficient length to retain all of the reinforcing members which may be in alinement therewith throughout the length of the mattress.

Upon reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the arms extend transversely and in close proximity to the undersides of a relatively large number of the interlocked wire coils of the fabric, so that any pressure which may be brought to bear upon the longitudinal edges of the fabric will be transmitted not only to all the coils intervening between the loops 7, but also to the central portion of the fabric, and that as soon as this pressure is relieved the reinforciiig members operate to restore said edges to their normal positions in substantially straight lines.

By spacing the lengthwise arms of these reinforcing members a considerable distance apart, it `is evident that only a small number will be required to reinforce such portions of the longitudinal. edges of the :fabric as may tend to become deformed by continued use, and, furthermore, by incorporating these reinforcing members in the fabric and supporting them wholly thereby preserves the flexibility and resiliency of the mattress, as well as the form, the locking bars 8 being also made of wire and, therefore, more or less resilient and flexible, but still sufficiently strong to assist the reinforcing members tw in preserving the edges of the woven wire in their original form, or rather in preventing the sagging or contracting of such edges.

In addition to the function of the upstanding arches -6-, they may also serve as supports for lengthwise guard rails 9 which are clamped thereto by clips -10- so as to holdthe edges of the bedding against undue flattening or matting throughout their lengths.

In practice, I have found that two of the loops -7- on each of the arms -5, one near each end, is sufficient for the purpose, the outer loops being close to the arched cross bar -6- for interlocking engagement with the outermost coil of the fabric, while the inner loops are interlocked with one of the longitudinal coils of the main body some distance inwardly from the longitudinal edge so as to distribute any strains which may be applied to said edge over a relatively wide area of the mattress and thereby maintain such edges against deformation.

It is now clear that these reinforcing members tmay be easily and quickly applied to or removed from any old or new woven wire mattress. That is, they may be used for restoring the deformed edges of an old mattress, or for maintaining the longitudinal edges of a new mattress in their original straight lines, without in any way diminishing the flexibility or resiliency of the mattress as a whole. For example: If it is desired to remove these reinforcements at any time, it is simply necessary to withdraw the rods 8- endwise from the loops and coils through which they are inserted, thus freeing the reinforcing members and allowing them to be withdrawn downwardly and laterally, either in combinations as connected by the rail -9- or individually if the rail is not employed.

In Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, I have shown a slightly modified reinforcing member -Llas used in connection with what is commonly termed a. link bar and plate mattress -2()- supported in any wel] known inanner upon a frame -2l, the reinforcing members -ll vbeing substantially like that shown in Figs. 'l to 5, inclusive, except that the loops as at their inner ends are closed upon locking bars as --8- constituting portions of the mattress --O-, thereby permanently secin'ing the reinforcing menibers to said mattress bnt otherwise the application is sin'iilar to that previously described for the woven wire mattress shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the reinforcing member shown in Fig. 5 is used in connection with the longitudinal edges of a helical spring mattress -30- in which the lower ends of the springs are supported upon suitable bars 31- while the upper ends of the marginal series are connected to a marginal frame -32- running around the longitudinal edges and ends of the mattress, it being understood that the remaining springs of the system may be tied together in any well known manner, as for example by lengthwise tie-bars -33-- and cross bars -34 In applying the reinforcing member -4- to this particular type of mattress, the longitudinal members of the marginal frame -32- are placed in the recesses between the upwardly arched members -6- and adjacent loops -7- as shown more clearly in Fig. 12, the remaining portions of the opposite arms -5- of the reinforcing member beinO extended transversely of the upper portion of the mattress and the inner loops -7- passed upwardly between the cross bar 34- for receiving the lengthwise locking bars -8- which are arched to rest upon the upper faces of the cross bars to retain the reinforcing members in operative position, and at the same time permitting the locking bars -8- to be passed through said loops in attaching the reinforcing members to the mattress or in removing them therefrom.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with a wire mattress, of reinforcing means for the edges thereof comprising cross bars having loops inserted into the mattress from one side, and a .rod

slidable through a portion of the mattress and through said loops for detachably locking the bar and rod to each other and to the mattress.

2. The combination with a wire mattress, of reinforcing means for the edges thereof comprising a U-shape bar having its opposite arms provided with loops inserted into the mattress from the underside and a rod slidable through a portion of the mattress and through the loops for detachably locking the bar and rod to each other and to the mattress. i

The combination with a wire mattress, of reinforcing means for the edges thereof comprising a U-shape bar having its opposite arms extending transversely from one edge of and under the mattress and each provided with a pair of loops for insertion into a portion of the mattress, and separate rods slidably intel-locked with portions of the mattress and with said loops.

In combination with a wire mattress, reinforcing members extending inwardly from one edge part way across said mattress and attached thereto at points near the edge and at other points some distance inwardly therefrom, the outer edges of said reinforcing members being provided with upwardly7 arched portions extending some distance above the plane of the mattress to retain the bedding thereon, and a guard rail attached to the apeXes of the arched portions and extending along the edge of the mattress.

5. A reinforcing` device for the longituh dinal edges of wire mattresses consisting of a U-shape bar of wire having substantially parallel arms extending part way across the mattress from one edge and provided with loops for engaging said edge and with additional loops some distance inwardly from the i'irst named loops for engaging other portions of the mattress7 and locking Wires passed through said loops and incorporated in the mattress to retain the reinforcing members in operative position.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of April, 1915.

VILLIAM LEWIS.

Witnesses Enom' J. VVELLER, RALPH WALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

